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Home » Travel » Ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar
Travel

Ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 5, 2017November 14, 2023 18 Comments

Frequent ferries connect Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar. We opted to take an afternoon ferry that took two hours to make the ~80km crossing.

Let me start out with a warning: the “porters” at Dar Es Salaam ferry port are the most aggressive I have ever seen. We drove up to the port in a pricey hotel car from the nearby Hyatt and were instantly surrounded by a mob of men eager to help us with our bags. And when the men saw that my friend walked with a cane, they were not going to take no for answer.

hyatt-regency-dar-es-salaam-53

hyatt-regency-dar-es-salaam-54

Fighting for our bags, eventually a trio of men “won out” and started leading us toward the dock with our bags in their hands (we only had one carry-on bag each, but somehow three men were necessary).

We purchased “business class” tickets for the boat directly from Hyatt. The tickets were $35 each. I later found out that our cruise company, AZAM, actually offered four classes of service–

  • ECONOMY = $35
  • BUSINESS = $35
  • VIP = $50
  • ROYAL = $60

That is one-way pricing above for foreigners, about double the price for Tanzanians.

We proceeded through a cursory security check (metal detector, bag search) and then were hit up for money from the porters just beyond the security checkpoint but well before reaching the point (still a few hundred yards away).

I insisted that they accompany us to the boat, which they did. Each were tipped $5 and one began to argue that it wasn’t enough. I looked at him in the eye and said, “You got $5 for 10 minutes of work. That is more than I make.” He walked away.

Onboard the Ferry to Zanzibar

Onboard, I would hardly call our ship cabin “business class” but it wasn’t bad. Seating felt like what a ultra-widebody jetliner might one day look like: 3-4-4-3 with three aisles. A pirated James Bond movie was playing without sound.

zanzibar-dar-es-salaam-ferry-03

zanzibar-dar-es-salaam-ferry-04

Passengers were asked to store bags in the baggage closet in the back of the cabin. Honestly, I glanced back every few moments because there were people just standing in the baggage hold the entire journey. The cabin seemed to be overbooked because there were not enough seats for all passengers.

Before pushback, a safety video was screened and I verified that life vests were under our seats. The ride itself was fairly smooth. Despite no power ports or wi-fi, I was able to get work done on the ferry and we reached Zanzibar just at the peak of sunset.

zanzibar-dar-es-salaam-ferry-01

And then the story gets really interesting…come back later today to read all about it.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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18 Comments

  1. Aptraveler Reply
    January 5, 2017 at 9:23 am

    ️️Nice ONE Matt, but this story is going to be turned into a mini-series??

    • Matthew Reply
      January 5, 2017 at 11:20 am

      Sort of! You’ll see why the next part merits a separate post.

  2. ATLJono Reply
    January 5, 2017 at 11:00 am

    I’ve never taken the ferry – only the commuter flight. How long is the boat ride?

    • Matthew Reply
      January 5, 2017 at 11:16 am

      2hrs.

      • Franziska Reply
        February 28, 2017 at 9:27 am

        Do you know about a ferry taking also cars? We plan a trip by 4×4… THX!

        • Matthew Reply
          February 28, 2017 at 10:32 am

          No cars on my ferry. There must be others.

  3. M Barley Reply
    January 5, 2017 at 11:13 am

    I have to admit that I am really enjoying travel reports from Africa. It is much more interesting than other blogs. Please keep posting them, and glad to have you posting so much.

    • Matthew Reply
      January 5, 2017 at 11:20 am

      Thank you! The plan is two posts per day until this is done.

  4. Katya Reply
    January 5, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    I’m very curious to read the next part of your journey in Zanzibar. Hopefully, there will be some positive and amazing experience apart from moaning and whinging about it

  5. Zanzibarino Reply
    January 6, 2017 at 1:51 am

    I’m keeping myself a wake, for the next post. Would also like to hear about your flight to Tanzania, your staying at Hyatt, did you have a chance to meet any locals before those mob like men at the ferry?, so that i can continue the journey to the ferry . Ooh, was there a life jacket under your sit? ( like the captain stated), was your luggage missing or something missing from your luggage?:)… this series is going to be so interesting:-)…

  6. CR Reply
    February 12, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    So do you recommend taking the Ferry? we are thinking taking it in the reverse

    • Matthew Reply
      February 12, 2017 at 7:14 pm

      I do recommend the ferry. Just look out for overzealous luggage porters.

  7. Philip Reply
    February 8, 2018 at 5:47 pm

    Matthew, it’s as if the poorer parts of the world were planned solely for you to travel in and then just to let you down. No mention of the sounds of sights of Tanzania; just its failings in terms of “your” world. I read your blog hoping to learn something about this country in advance of my trip there this summer. I have only learned about you and what matters to you. How disappointing.

    • Matthew Reply
      February 8, 2018 at 6:27 pm

      You must have missed this article–

      http://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2017/01/08/stone-town-zanzibar-photo-tour/

    • Marc Dhalluin Reply
      July 17, 2018 at 3:33 pm

      Can’t agree more, Philip. Factually, no problem. Attitudinally, the response re ‘“You got $5 for 10 minutes of work. That is more than I make.” He walked away.’ says it all.

      As a frequent traveller to the region, it’s not hard to see why resentment builds towards the very people who help sustain the local economy through tourism. It’s not about paying more, it’s about how one deals with issues such as being hassled and, indeed, hussled.

      • Matthew Reply
        July 17, 2018 at 4:35 pm

        How much do you think they deserve?

  8. joseph wisnerson Reply
    March 27, 2018 at 11:07 am

    Need to visit tanzania i would like to know how can i obtain a visa

    • Matthew Reply
      March 27, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      Please see this article–

      http://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2017/01/03/visa-on-arrival-tanzania/

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